Your reading experience can be enhanced, and your writing can be made more interesting if you have a working understanding of popular symbols.
The use of symbols allows for a text to have an expanded scope of meaning to be conveyed using a less number of words. You could discover new meanings in some of your favorite stories and find links to more prominent themes if you educate yourself on the symbols used in literature and learn to interpret them.
In this article, we will discuss the meaning of symbolism in literature, identify some of the most prevalent symbolism in literature, and examine some of the more significant symbolism in literature found in well-known works.
What is Symbolism in Literature
Objects that have meanings or that symbolize concepts are referred to be symbols. However, symbols may also be words, pictures, colors, or even activities. Symbols can take many forms. (the Christian religion is represented by the cross, while the American flag’s red stripes stand for bravery and valiance.)
Symbols are present in virtually every other type of artistic expression, including some of our most incredible music, films, and, of course, written works.
The meanings of symbols may shift depending not just on their environment but also on a person’s culture is one of the things that gives symbols their inherent allure. Therefore, to grasp the meaning intended to be conveyed by a sign, it is essential to comprehend where, when, and how it is utilized.
What is Imagery in Literature
Imagery is a type of literary method that enables authors to create mental pictures in the minds of their readers, so facilitating easier mental visualization of the events, characters, and feelings depicted in a tale. Think of “imagination” as a method to better grasp the concept of “imagery.” when writing; authors must be detailed and concrete and use language to engage all five of the reader’s senses.
How to Identify Symbols in Literature
Understanding a given subject requires doing several things, one of the most crucial of which is being able to recognize symbols in written works. Almost every writer incorporates character into their work to improve it and make it more attractive to the audience. Students of literature frequently lack an understanding of the significance of recognizing symbols. Becoming an expert at recognizing symbols requires some practice over some time. Nevertheless, it is not an exceptionally difficult process, and one may quickly learn how to recognize symbols in written works.
Symbolism in literature examples
Likely, you haven’t given much consideration to certain symbols simply because they are deeply rooted in tradition. Take, for instance:
Brides traditionally wear white because it is a sign of innocence.
Snakes are frequently used to represent depravity or corruption.
Holding one’s index and middle fingers up might be seen as either a symbol of peace or victory.
Windows can be interpreted as either opportunities or liberties. On the other hand, a closed window may also represent being trapped.
Thanks to their prominence in the bible, apples have historically been understood to represent knowledge.
In everyday life, you probably don’t give much thought to symbols. Still, when reading literature, it’s crucial to pay attention to notable characters to comprehend better what’s being said.
Why use Symbolism in Literature
The following is a list of symbolism in literary terms that, if you get familiar with them, can assist in enriching your reading experience. Even if the things above don’t always have a significant symbolic value in a text, they are some of the most commonly used symbols in written works.
- Rivers: rivers are frequently portrayed as symbols of life in many works of literature. The headwaters of rivers, often tiny mountain streams, symbolize the beginning of life. The point at which rivers join the sea is sometimes regarded as symbolizing the end of life.
- Rivers may also stand for independence and liberty. For instance, in tom sawyer’s novel the adventures of huckleberry Finn, the Mississippi river serves as a metaphor for freedom for both Jim and Huck since it enables them to escape their predicament and, in the end, transports them through the narrative.
- Rain is commonly seen as a metaphor for rebirth or a turning point. It is sometimes compared to baptism in that it represents a fresh start for the characters caught up in it.
- The biblical account of Noah’s ark provides one of the first examples. In this tale, a tremendous storm causes damage, but it also eventually heralds the beginning of new life on earth.
- Winter: Winter is most commonly associated with death or dormancy.
- The despair of life under the white witch’s dominion is symbolized by the winter season in the novel the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
- The springtime is a time for new beginnings, romantic endeavors, and blossoming love. The spring season is frequently depicted in works of art, such as Botticelli’s “birth of Venus” or primavera.
- The onset of fall and autumn is typically seen as a harbinger of deterioration or the approach to death.
- The poem “wild asters” by Sara Teasdale is a good illustration of the symbolic difference between spring (representing youth) and October (depicting the approach of death):
“During the springtime, I questioned the daisies,” she said.
If what he said was accurate,
And the quick-witted, sharp-eyed daisies also
I always had the sense.
At this point, the fields are brown and desolate.
Bitter autumn blasts,
And of all the idiocy displayed by the asters,
Nobody is aware of it.”
Most of your favorite coming-of-age stories and movies will take place over the summer. Have you ever given this any thought? It’s not a coincidence at all. The summer season is frequently seen as a metaphor for maturity or knowledge.
When you come across any symbols described above, you should ask yourself how these other possible interpretations may fit into the context. It would help if you examined how they could offer the tale more significance.
Symbolism in Literature Examples
Following is a list of symbols essential to comprehending the primary ideas in their respective narratives. These are only some of the well-known symbols of literature; for example
Light and fire in Frankenstein:
In this book, light is representative of enlightenment and wisdom, but fire demonstrates that whatever produces light may also bring about harm.
This is made clear when the creature is shown interacting with fire for the first time:
“one day, while I was shivering from the cold, I discovered a fire that some traveling beggars had abandoned, and I was overjoyed by the warmth that I experienced from it. My delight caused me to shove my palm into the live flames, but I quickly pulled it out with a yell of agony when I realized what I was doing. My first impression was, “how peculiar that the same cause should result in very different outcomes!”
Knowledge led to the creation of Victor Frankenstein as well, but it was a creation that eventually caused harm to those around him; the monster he brought to life was responsible for the deaths of everyone he loved.
In “lord of the flies,” the conch represents:
When a group of lads is shipwrecked together on an island, a shell rapidly evolves into a representation of power for the group. It begins as a device for protecting democracy and free speech. Each youngster will be allowed to hold the conch and voice their opinions without interruption.
However, for the conch to operate, the lads must have faith in its principles. One of the guys, jack, offers a more dictatorial approach when the rules become hard to police without there being repercussions for breaking them:
“We do not require the conch at this time. We are aware of who should make statements. It is high time that specific individuals realize they must maintain their silence and let the rest of us make decisions.
Disobedience from this point on is met with severe punishments, and conflict breaks out amongst the many new factions that have formed on the island due to the fragmentation. The more brutal inclinations inherent in human nature now take the place of the democracy formerly symbolized by the conch.
In the novel “the scarlet letter,” the forest:
The puritan civilization that is shown throughout the majority of the scarlet letter serves as a striking contrast to the setting of the novel’s forest setting. It is a place of darkness and secrecy, where there are no rules created, and people confess their sins:
“…the passes of the dark, enigmatic forest open to her,” where “the wildness of her nature may fuse itself with a people whose habits and lives were foreign from the law that had condemned her.” “… the dark, unfathomable woodland routes open to her.”
Because the forest is also a part of nature, it may be related to human nature and the inclinations repressed by the puritan society that hated Hester Prynne. Since the puritans despised Hester Prynne, society shunned the forest as well.
The Great Gatsby’s interpretation of the green light:
Jay Gatsby believes that the green light that shines from the daisy’s pier is symbolic of both his pursuit of the daisy and the American ideal, which he has spent the better part of his life trying to achieve.
Although the light itself represents Gatsby’s love for daisy, the green tint of the light is indicative of daisy’s avarice and the money that leads to the life that she is currently trapped in.
The last few sentences of the book are where the story’s narrator, Nick Carraway, does the best job of describing the elusive green light:
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the utopian future that grows farther and more away from us year after year.” we were unable to catch it at the time, but that is irrelevant; tomorrow, we shall run even faster and extend our arms even further… And so, on a beautiful morning—
So we continue, vessels going against the river, being carried backward and further into the past.
Even though Fitzgerald wrote the great Gatsby in the environment of the roaring 20s and all of the excess that period was known for, the symbol of the green light and everything that it stands for is still important even in the world that we live in today.
Importance of Symbolism in Literature
Because symbols lend work to more than one interpretation, they require readers to engage in more in-depth contemplation of the material they are reading. Reading a piece of writing wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if the author were to spell out the exact lesson they wanted the reader to learn from the narrative they wrote.
It’s possible that as we get older, our interpretations of a given text may shift, but this might happen precisely to make the reading experience so distinctive for each of us.
Parting Shot
The use of symbolism in literature may take many different forms and can be found in many different spheres of life. One definition of a symbol is “something that stands for something else,” with “something other” typically being an abstract concept. In other words, what we mean when we talk about symbolism is simply the act of employing one item to communicate the significance of another. Symbolism may be defined as the use of an object or component of an object to communicate meaning in addition to or in place of the thing’s literal purpose. Symbolism in literature essays might be challenging to comprehend, but at nursingpapersmarket.com, we’ve covered you.
More Posts: How to Write a Topic Sentence
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH NURSING PAPERS MARKET TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT
